Pakistan troops kill key militant leader, 4 others, official says

Pakistani security forces on Monday killed five Taliban militants, including a top commander, in the north-western district of Swat, a military official said.

Mohammad Alim Buneri and his four comrades died in a pre-dawn shootout with government forces in the Madin area, located 130 kilometres north-west of Islamabad, the official said on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, dpa reported.

The government had placed a bounty of 10 million rupees (117,647 US dollars) on Buneri's head after thousands of troops moved into Swat to flush out the Taliban from the scenic valley in April.

Buneri was the former head of the Taliban's pirated FM radio, used to propagate their strict version of Islam and to threaten civilians before the military operation began.

The security forces recovered three assault rifles, two handguns and three grenades from the militants after Monday's shootout, the military official said.

The military has regained control of Swat and its neighbouring districts, but Taliban insurgents continue to carry out occasional attacks against security forces and civilians from their hideouts in the mountains.

Last week, a suicide bomber detonated explosives near military vehicles, killing three soldiers and 10 civilians in Swat's main town, Mingora. More than 40 other people were injured.